February, 2019 | Brit In The South

I am writing this in late February and the first signs of spring are appearing, with snowdrops and daffodils in bloom and the crazy climate in Georgia giving us the occasional unseasonably warm day when the patios fill up at local bars and folks break out their shorts and t-shirts for a day or two before it reverts back to being cold and damp.

At the local farmers markets the produce scene is still dominated by winter greens and root vegetables and will be like that for quite a few weeks more.

I’m not complaining. The vegetables on offer at the moment lend themselves to hearty soups and stews that are welcome when the temperature dips and the rain is falling.

The goodies on offer at the moment include snowy white hakurei turnips, which are smaller and more delicately flavoured than the larger, more commonly found purple topped turnips. Thinly sliced, Hakurei turnips can even be eaten raw in salads.

I find they make a good base for a soup, providing richness and thickness which you can then enhance with other seasonings and flavours. They work particularly well with fennel or thyme, and to dial up the richness a little more you can add cream or cheese. A couple of parmesan rinds thrown in to soften and melt as the soup simmers is also a good idea.

This time I opted for blue cheese, which added a nice salty tang and depth to the mild earthiness of the turnips.

Turnip & Blue Cheese Soup

1 medium onion, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1lb white turnips, cut into 1/2″ dice

6oz blue cheese, crumbled (Stilton is a good choice but other blues also work well)

32 fl.oz. (4 cups) vegetable stock

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and soften for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the turnips and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the vegetable stock, and increase the heat to medium high.

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the turnips are tender, around 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then blend to a creamy and smooth consistency in a blender or food processor, or using a stick blender.

Return to the pan and heat over medium heat, adding the crumbled blue cheese.

Cook until the blue cheese melts.

Check for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

I love having vegetable stock readily available in my fridge or freezer. When I come back from the farmer’s market with a bag full of veg or when I’m opening up my CSA box to see what goodies I have, having stock on hand means I am one step closer to a delicious soup or risotto or sauce.

Of course, you can buy vegetable broth from the grocery store but I often find these too salty and too strong. I like to make light but flavourful stocks where I can control the seasoning and taste.

I don’t like waste in the kitchen so my stocks usually use some of the bits and pieces and trimmings that come from prepping vegetables. I particularly like to make use of the thick stems from collard greens or kale that so many recipes tell me to discard. When I’m prepping greens I wash the stalks and chop them into half inch lengths and throw them into a bag in the freezer, ready for when I want to make a batch of stock. Scraps of onions, trimmings from leeks and tired looking greens also make a good basis for stock.

I always start with an onion, softening it in a mix of olive oil and butter before adding other veg. Celery and carrots are great additions at this stage but it isn’t the end of the world if you have none on hand. I then add any greens that I have and saute them for a few minutes just to develop some flavour before adding water and seasonings. I then simmer it for a while, leave it to infuse for a bit and then strain to get a beautiful stock. It requires very little attention so is easy to do in the background whilst you’re cooking other things.

Vegetable Stock

This is a typical recipe, but it will vary depending on what vegetables I have on hand. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs unsalted butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

1 celery stick, coarsely chopped

2 cups of green stalks, roughly chopped into half inch pieces (kale, collards, etc.)

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tsp salt

Warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes to soften.

Add the carrot, celery and greens and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add 12 cups of cold water, the bay leaves, thyme and salt.

Increase the temperature to medium high, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, then leave to infuse for 30 minutes before straining to get rid of all the solids, leaving a bright golden stock.

Brit In The South

A Blog from the Deep South with a British Twist

Monthly Archives: February 2019

Turnip and Blue Cheese Soup

Vegetable Stock